Weight Reduction
#12
#14
RE: Weight Reduction
from the section of the FAQ:
Weight reduction is supposed to improve City MPG where acceleration dominates.
The rule of thumb is
" A 10% reduction in weight yields a 6% improvement in City MPG."
So 540 lbs off a 5400 lb Ram might increase 14 MPG to 14.8 mpg.
At a steady 70 mph however, a 10% increase or decrease in weight only affects
MPG by about 3%.
The US Army is giving some of your tax dollars to Ford as a Research grant to
try out ways to cut the weight of a pickup truck by 25%.
Aluminum wheels save 40 lbs total. New Aluminum Magnum heads save 46 lbs.
Aluminum diff and rear axles saves 150 lbs. Fiberglass leaf springs save 75
lbs or monoleaf steel springs save 40 lbs.
Do Google searches for 'monoleaf
spring' or 'fiberglass spring' to find suppliers who can make such springs for
Ram pickups.
http://flex-a-form.com/
This company makes a 'QuadraLink' rear suspension that does away with leaf springs
on muscle cars and could be adapted to a pickup:
http://detroitspeed.com/RearSuspension10.html
There is at least one supplier of fiberglass fenders for Rams:
http://www.hannemannfiberglass.com/Dodge_Ram.html
Do you really need that rear bumper - are damaged bumpers less expensive to
replace than damaged sheet metal?
Optima batteries are usually 10-20 lbs lighter than conventional.
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Weight reduction is supposed to improve City MPG where acceleration dominates.
The rule of thumb is
" A 10% reduction in weight yields a 6% improvement in City MPG."
So 540 lbs off a 5400 lb Ram might increase 14 MPG to 14.8 mpg.
At a steady 70 mph however, a 10% increase or decrease in weight only affects
MPG by about 3%.
The US Army is giving some of your tax dollars to Ford as a Research grant to
try out ways to cut the weight of a pickup truck by 25%.
Aluminum wheels save 40 lbs total. New Aluminum Magnum heads save 46 lbs.
Aluminum diff and rear axles saves 150 lbs. Fiberglass leaf springs save 75
lbs or monoleaf steel springs save 40 lbs.
Do Google searches for 'monoleaf
spring' or 'fiberglass spring' to find suppliers who can make such springs for
Ram pickups.
http://flex-a-form.com/
This company makes a 'QuadraLink' rear suspension that does away with leaf springs
on muscle cars and could be adapted to a pickup:
http://detroitspeed.com/RearSuspension10.html
There is at least one supplier of fiberglass fenders for Rams:
http://www.hannemannfiberglass.com/Dodge_Ram.html
Do you really need that rear bumper - are damaged bumpers less expensive to
replace than damaged sheet metal?
Optima batteries are usually 10-20 lbs lighter than conventional.
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